Nonprofit compensation sources fall into three groups by what you need to do: benchmark a role across peer organizations, price staff roles from a salary survey, or look up one organization's filing. Each table lists its sources with what they are, where their data comes from, their format, their price and how often they update.
Prices are what each vendor lists on its own site. Confirm the current price with the vendor before you buy.
| Source | What it is | Data source | Format | Price | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark a role across peer organizationsThese sources compare pay for a role across many peer organizations. | |||||
| Lucido | Searchable compensation benchmarks by role, sector, budget size and state. | Form 990 filings | Searchable web product | Free. Lucido Pro: $54.99 a month or $449 a year. | Monthly, as the IRS releases filings |
| Candid | Annual report on compensation for nonprofit leadership positions, with national, state and metro breakdowns. | Form 990 and 990-EZ filings, not surveys | PDF report | $449 for a single-user license | Annual editions |
| GrantLedger | Web tool that compares full-time nonprofit salaries by role, state and budget tier and generates a board-ready report. | Form 990 filings | Web tool with a generated report | Free for early users | Not stated |
| RoundPaper | Nonprofit data platform with compensation benchmarks, financial trends, grant data and organization search. | IRS Form 990 filings | Searchable website; custom datasets on request | Free to explore; custom data by request | Not stated |
| CauseComp | Executive benchmarks modeled to budget, sector and location, plus workforce roles. | Form 990 and 990-EZ filings for executives, BLS data for other roles | Web product with PDF reports | Essential plan: $49 a month billed annually ($588 a year), or $59 a month month to month. Board Report: $349 one time. | Not stated |
| NonprofitExecPay | Salary lookup and benchmarking. | Form 990 series filings | Web product with PDF reports | $79 a month, cancel anytime | Monthly data updates |
| Cause IQ | Nonprofit research platform. Compensation benchmarking is included only in the Pro plan. | Form 990 filings and Schedule J | Web platform with downloadable Excel reports | Pro plan: $5,988 a year, or $4,488 a year for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Annual commitment. | Not stated |
| ERI Nonprofit Comparables Assessor | Software that produces compensation benchmarks for nonprofit positions. | Form 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF filings | Software | Custom quote, no public price | Not stated |
| Salary surveys that cover all staff rolesThese surveys collect pay for many job titles, not only executives, from the organizations that respond. | |||||
| State nonprofit association salary surveys | Surveys of nonprofits that cover many staff roles, not only executives. Examples: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Nonprofit Association of Washington, Montana Nonprofit Association | Salary survey | Report or online tool | Examples range from $50 to $150, depending on the survey and on membership | Typically every two years |
| Look up one organization's filingThis source shows the filing of one organization at a time. | |||||
| ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer | Free lookup of one organization's filings at a time, including executive compensation. It does not compute benchmarks across organizations. | IRS filings | Searchable website | Free | Not stated |
Build your peer benchmark, free
Why Form 990 data
- Every organization that files Form 990 reports its executives' pay. A 990 benchmark includes every filer in your peer group, not only the organizations that chose to answer a survey.
- The amounts come from a federal tax return signed under penalty of perjury.
- The filings are public, so you can check any figure against the organization's own return.
- State association surveys cover one state or region. Form 990 data covers every state.
- Surveys cover more job titles. Form 990 lists officers, directors, key employees and the highest-paid staff, so for roles below the executive level a survey can be the better source.
- Form 990 data lags, because returns are filed months after the tax year ends.
Where Lucido fits
Lucido is a searchable web product built from Form 990 filings. Anyone can see the median and the 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles for a role without an account. A free account adds your state, size and sector together. Lucido Pro puts the organizations you compare yourself to side by side on today's pay, with local cost of living, every filter, every role, and export.
Lucido Pro is $54.99 a month or $449 a year.
Common Questions
Where can I find nonprofit salary data for free?
Lucido shows the median and the 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles for every role free, with no account, and a free account adds your state, size and sector together. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer is also free and lets you look up one organization's filings at a time, including executive compensation. GrantLedger and RoundPaper are free benchmark tools: GrantLedger describes its tool as free for early users, and RoundPaper lists its price as free to explore.
How much does the Candid compensation report cost?
Candid lists its Nonprofit Compensation Report at $449 for a single user. It is a PDF report based on Form 990 and 990-EZ filings, published in annual editions.
Is a salary survey better than Form 990 data?
For executive pay, Form 990 data covers every organization that files, not only those that answer a survey, and the amounts come from signed federal tax returns that anyone can check. Salary surveys cover more job titles, so for roles below the executive level a survey can be the better source.
How often is nonprofit compensation data updated?
It depends on the source. Candid publishes annual editions, Lucido updates monthly as the IRS releases filings, and state association salary surveys are typically published every two years. Several vendors do not state an update schedule. Form 990 data always lags, because returns are filed months after the tax year ends.
Which roles does Form 990 compensation data cover?
Form 990 reports pay for officers, directors, key employees and the highest-paid employees, so sources built from it cover executive and other senior roles. Surveys of nonprofit staff pay cover a wider range of job titles.
Related Guides
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